The present invention relates to an arrangement in a silo for bulk material, comprising a rotating agitator centrally arranged in the silo, said agitator consisting of a rotatable disc equipped with at least one rigid paddle which is mounted on the disc for rotation about an axis which is offset from the central axis of the disc, said paddle being resiliently advanced through the material in the silo in a more or less radially extending position depending on the relation between the force imparted to the paddle by actuating means and the reactive pressure from the contents of the silo.
For stirring the contents in silos for bulk material and for the discharge of the contents through an opening in the bottom it is known to provide rotatable agitators with fixed, rigid vanes or arms inside the silo, e.g. right above the bottom thereof. Such agitators are subjected to the danger of being overloaded when the resistance from the goods in the silo becomes very large.
Therefore, also agitators with resilient paddles have been developed. Thus, from Norwegian Patent Specification No. 101,986 there is known a rotating agitator with a rigid paddle mounted for resilient pivoting motion about an axis which is offset from the central axis of the agitator, a hood substantially covering the paddle in its inner or swung-in position. The paddle may assume several positions between the inner position and the fully extended or swung-out position in which it operates in the zone between the circumference of the hood and the walls of the silo. The reactive moment which the bulk material imparts to the paddle when the latter is in a given partly extended position, will be relatively large. The actuating means effecting the pivoting of the paddle towards an extended position must therefore be dimensioned for a moment-exerting reactive force which is proportional to the length of the paddle and the reactive pressure from the contents of the silo. Besides, the actuating means according to the patent specification is arranged inside the hood above the paddle. This complicates the access to the actuating means for adjustment, inspection, maintenance and repair, since the silo must then be completely emptied for its contents.